Harding vs. #8 Ouachita Baptist - GAME NOTES

Harding Bisons (2-1, 2-1) vs. #8 Ouachita Baptist (3-0, 3-0)
Sept. 25, 2021 • 6 p.m. • Searcy, Ark. • First Security Stadium

Game Story
Harding hosts eighth-ranked Ouachita Baptist on Family Weekend. The Bisons are looking for their first win over a nationally ranked team since defeating No. 10 Ferris State 2017. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

Harding is coming off a 37-6 victory at Southern Arkansas. The Bisons rushed for 442 yards and had more than 42 minutes of possession. Ouachita Baptist defeated winless Arkansas Tech 38-24 in Arkadelphia, scoring five rushing TD.

Several streaks are on the line Saturday. Harding has a nine-game home winning streak, tied with Minnesota St. for the longest in D2. Ouachita has an 11-game road winning streak, third-longest in D2 and a D2-best 30-game conference winning streak.

Harding has averaged 380.0 rushing yards per game to lead NCAA Division II. Ouachita is second in D2 with 290.0 rushing yards per game. OBU's TJ Cole is seventh in D2 with 400 rushing yards, and HU's Cole Chancey is 12th with 341 rushing yards.

Chancey rushed for 144 yards against Southern Arkansas to become the first GAC running back ever over 4,000 career yards. He has 4,014 rushing yards and needs 201 more to become Harding's career leader.

Chancey is the NCAA Division II active leader in rushing yards (4,014) and rushing TD (48). Jaleel McLaughlin of Youngstown State leads all of the NCAA in both categories (5,715 yards, 55 TD).

Harding and Ouachita Baptist are also 1-2 in D2 in time of possession with Harding first at 37:05 and Ouachita second at 35:22.

Harding has been called for six penalties through three games, tied with Mississippi College and Saint Augustine's for the fewest in D2.

The Bison defense has allowed only 46 first downs, the fewest in the GAC. Harding's third-down conversion defense is second in the GAC at 30.0%, just behind leader Southeastern Oklahoma at 29.7%.

Up Next
Harding returns to the road to take on Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee. The Bisons hold a 5-0 series lead, including all three games played in Shawnee. It will be Harding's first 2 p.m. kickoff.

The Coaches
Paul Simmons is in his fourth season as head coach at Harding. He has a 32-10 overall record and led Harding to the NCAA II Playoffs in each of his first three seasons, including a spot in the national semifinals in 2017. He is in his 15th season at Harding and had been Harding's defensive coordinator for the previous seven seasons. Simmons was a three-time All-American defensive end and linebacker at Harding from 1992-94.

Todd Knight (Ouachita Baptist '86) is 126-96 in his 23rd season at Ouachita Baptist. He has a 154-128-2 career record in 29 seasons.

Series History
Harding and Ouachita Baptist are meeting for the 62nd time with the Bisons leading the series 32-25-4. Ouachita has won four of the last five meetings in Searcy. Paul Simmons-led teams are 1-2 vs. Ouachita Baptist.

Home/Road Records
Harding is 1-0 at home in 2021 and 13-4 at home under Simmons. The Bisons have won their last nine home games. Ouachita Baptist is 1-0 on the road in 2021 and has won 11 straight road games.

Last Meeting
Ouachita Baptist freshman Gabe Goodman kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:05 remaining to lift the fifth-ranked Tigers over the 18th-ranked Harding Bisons on Sept. 5, 2019, in Great American Conference action at Cliff Harris Stadium.

Harding took the lead 14-13 with 4:20 left in the game on a 4-yard Tristan Tucker TD run. Tucker had the big play on the drive, a 45-yard run around the right side. He scored two plays later.

Ouachita took over with 4:07 left and took advantage of two Harding penalties that kept the game-winning drive alive. The first was a roughing the passer penalty that tacked on 15 yards to a 25-yard pass completion to Tucker Swoboda that took the Tigers to the Harding 30. Later in the drive, Ouachita had a 4th-and-15 but a pass interference penalty gave the Tigers another first down. Three rushing plays later, Goodman kicked the game-winning field goal.

Harding had one last possession with just over a minute left, but Ouachita's third interception of the game ended the Bisons's comeback hopes.

Streaks, Trends and Records
Senior fullback Cole Chancey has 4,014 career rushing yards, good for second at HU. He needs 201 yards to pass Alan Dixon (4,214, 1970-73) for the Harding record.

Harding has rushed for more than 300 yards and three TD in each of its first three games. Dating to 2019, the Bisons have now rushed for more than 300 yards and three or more TD in 11 consecutive GAC games.

Harding's defense has limited each of its first three opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards. The last time a Bison opponent rushed for more than 200 yards was Southeastern Oklahoma (203 yards) on Oct. 15, 2016, a span of 49 games.

Harding is 21-7 in senior quarterback Preston Paden's 28 career starts. With the win over East Central, Paden became Harding's career leader in quarterback wins.

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Players Mentioned

#34 Cole Chancey: RB; 5' 11"; Senior

#11 Preston Paden: QB; 5' 11"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#34 Cole Chancey
: 5' 11"; Senior
: RB

#11 Preston Paden
: 5' 11"; Senior
: QB

Players Mentioned

#34 Cole Chancey

#11 Preston Paden

Players Mentioned

#34 Cole Chancey

#11 Preston Paden